Detachable service tray



Nov. 1, 1932. w. L. MQ 1,885,615

DETACHABLE SERVICE TRAY Filed Aug. 15, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 g G 4 2Qwuentoz WILLIAM L. MCGINLEY Patented Nov. 1, 1932 UNITED STATES w W 1..Icemmr, or namas, 'rms na'racmnn snnvren my Application filed August 15,1930. Serial llo. 475,502.

This invention relates to improvements in detachable service trays andhas in particular an object to provide a portable tray with a suitablebracket frame which may be readily connected detachably upon someportion of an automobile, but which when removed therefrom, may bereadil stacked one upon another, and still hold t e several units ofthestack in vertical arrangement, without necessitating removal of any partfrom the tray.

Heretofore, it has been thought necessary in manufacturing trays havingrigidly attached support frames therefor, to provide such frame with anad ustable lever or leg having a slot or eye near one end through whicha rigid bracket forming part of the frame is threaded, so that such legmay be adjusted to a position nearer or farther from 1 the verticalsurface of a supporting part, as of a vehicle door while overhangingbent ends of other portions of the supporting frame would rest directlyupon the upper edge of such door or other support.

uch threaded construction however, has many objectionable features amongthe rest being the uncertain and weakened effect of such slot or eyeupon said leg or brace resulting in a twistmg movement ofthe leg orbrace upon the bracket. The former manner of at- 6 tempting correctionof this weakness the supporting frame for the tray, resulted 1n anobjectionable widening of the brace about the eye which is otherwisequite unnecessary for the strengthening effect which is needed,

and resulting in undesired weighting of the brace itself.

It is an object of my invention to strengthen the desirable adjustableconnection between the brace and the bar or bracket which is attached tothe bottom of the tray but spaced therefrom, and without forming theobjectionable eye or slot in the brace itself. It is also furtherdesired that my service tray with attached frame shall be strong inconstruction and easily folded into. small space when not in operativeposition upon the vertical wall to receive it, and I especially desirethat the arrangement for mounting the brace upon the barcket shallprovide strong and novel means for resisting lateral or twisting stramsto which this leg or brace must be subected when the tray above it is tosupport quite heavy loads. 7 I

The present invention consists in the articular construction andarrangement 0 the parts by wh1ch the objects are accomplished, asdescribed in the specification, recited in the appended claims, and asillustrated in the drawingsfin which .F1gure1 is a side elevation of myservice tray shown in position upon an automobile door, the latter beingshown in transverse vertical section;

Figure 2 is an inverted tra with the brace in transverse sectionlgure 3is a detail vertical section taken in a plane indicated by the line 33of Fig.

plan view of the C6 Figure 4 is a detail vertical section in a planelndlcated by the line 1-4 of Fig. 2;

Flgure 5 1s a perspective view of the spaced element slotted to receivethe brace;

Figure 6 is a side elevation of my service tray, showing a modified formof brace and 76 latch therefor, and a portion of the tray bemg shownwith parts broken away;

Figure 7 is a detail vertical section shown in a plane indicated by theline 7-7 of Fig.

Figures 8 and 10 are detail vertical sections shown in the planesindicated by the lines 8-8 and 10-l0, respectively of F1 6;

Figure 9 is a transverse section o the brace member shown in the planeindicated by the line 99 of Fig. 8;

Figure 11 is a detail view of a further modified form of brace memberand parts to which it is connected, parts of the tray being shown invertical section, and

Figure 12 is a detail vertical section shown ill; a plane indicated bythe line 12- 12 of Fig.

The tray may be of any desired construction, the tray 1 being shownofgeneral rectangular shape with rounded corners. This tray is usuallymade of some form'of sheet metal, such as aluminum, but maybe of anyequivalent material. I securely attach two spaced supporting brackets 4upon the bottom of the tray, transversely thereof, and which lie flat uon the bottom of the tray, the forward en 5 of each strip bein bentdownwardly to form a rigid leg, and t e opposite end 6 bent downwardlyat 7 on each strip to form a leg, the end 6 of each being spaced fromthe tray slightly, as shown at 8, to accommodate a rubber sleeve 9 as acushion device.

Parallel with the two brackets 4 and between them, a supporting bracket10 composed of a strip tray, the forward end 11 bem attached to the bodyof the tray and bent o liquely from the bracket to fit the flangeportion of the tray as at 12. The opposite end 13 of this bracket 10 isbent upwardly and outwardly at 14 from the main portion of the bracket,and is secured to the flat bottom of the tray as at 15.

By means of the bent portion 14 and a lengthened end portion 11, adesiredspace 16 results between the support 10 and thebottom of the tray1 to permit suitable adJustment of the brace element later to bedescribed. At this point it is to be noted that the ends 6 extend overand beyond the edge of the vertical wall upon which the tray is to besupported, while the end 13 of the supporting bracket 10 will rest inabout the same vertical plane as the inner surface of said wall, whichlatter may be an automobile door.

The spaced supporting member 10 serves as an adjustable mounting for aninclined brace member 17 which is formed as a flat blade or strip whichreadily extends through an elongated slot 18 of the support 10, and isprovided with transverse pins 19 and 20 which, in the bracing action ofthe member 17, are forced against the upper and lower surfaces of thesupport, respectively, as shown very clearly in Fig. 3, thisconstruction permitting movement of the member 17 lengthwise of the bar10, and toward and from the supporting wall of the vehicle. The lowerend of the brace is provided with a flexible pad 21 of rubber or othercompressible material adapted to bear against the Wall. When the brace17 is drawn away from the wall, the brace may readily be raised into thebroken line position shown in Fig. 1 to permit stacking of a number oftrays one upon another, or resting one of them upon the supporting legs5 and 6.

Rivets such as shown at 22 may serve for securing means for thebrackets, though they may be positioned at any suitable point on thelatter. The support 10 is provided with openings 23 for such rivets.Prior constructions have ordinarily made use of a bracing memberpositioned in a plane transverse ofthe supporting member 10, while muchgreater strength may now be obtained by the brace 17 which is insertedin the elongated slot 18 and always lies in the plane of such slot.

of metal is attached to the The lower end 24 of the brace 17 is usuallytwisted into a plane at right'angles to the body of the brace as shownat 25, to provide suitable support for the pad 21. When the tray is tobe released from the supportingwall, the lower end 24-. will be swungupwar in the direction of the tray as the pins 19 and 20 serve as ahinge device for said movement, and I provide a clip 26 formed of ametallic strip which is bent into a U-shaped form, as shown at Fig. 4.This operation results in flexible arms 27 normally approaching eachother and permitting the edge oi the lower portion of the brace 17 to beforced into this clip so that the latter may hold one end of the bracein its upper position tempo rarily. The clip 26 is supported by the samerivet 27 which serves the additional purpose of securing the end 13 ofthe bar 10 to the bottom of the tray. The clip thus opens downwardly.

The above described arrangement of the brace 17 has a blade movable inthe slot 18 and positioned in a plane trarzverse of the wall upon whichthe tray .s to be supported, af- 1 fords a very positive resistance to aforce acting longitudinally of the support 10. This mounting of theupper end of the brace in the slot 18 also makes possible the provisionof as long locking pins 19 and 20 as may be desired which by theirpressure upon the bar 10, as shown in Fig. 3 results in a remarkablegripping action when the pad 21 is pressed against the supporting wall.

In Figs. 6 to 10 inclusive, I show a modification of the particularconnection of the brace member 28 with the supporting spaced memberwhich I have shown clearly in Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 10, as slightly spacedbut separate track bars 29 and 30 which is so spaced that they mayreceive between them the member 28, thus providing the equivalent of theslot 18 of-the support bar 10 of the first form. One of these bars-29 isshown clearly in Fig. 6, the other-30 being removed in this view. Bothforms of supporting member however, serve the purpose well of providinga narrow and elongated aperture 31 (18 in Fig. 5), for receiving theblade-like member 28 or 17 therein, and resisting well, strainspresented laterally, as well as the strain always present when the pad32 (or 21) is pressed against the supporting wall of the vehicle.

The two bars 29 and 30 are secured to the tray by the provision of arivet at each end, and a metal loop 33 apertured at 34 to receive arivet, is applied over the end of the bars so that the rivet 35 passesthrough the said aperture, the spacing aperture 31 and the metal of thetray 1. A similar rivet 37 passes through a similar loop 36, through theaperture 31, the tray metal, and an aperture in a clip 38, as shown inFig. 10, to hold the bars 29 and 30 to the tray bottom and to pro- Illvide means for receiving the lower end 89 of the member 28 when infolded 'tion.

, The brace member 28 is, in this alternative form, strengthened by bemgformed from a single iece of material, usually of sheet metal msubstantially rectangular shape, which is bent upon itself along acentral longitudinal line, to bring the lateral edges 40 m contact,,asshown in the sectional view of Fig. 9, whereby the ultimate thickness ofthe bar 28 is doubled to give far greater resistance to both lateral anddirect strains'on the member.

A further advantage in this folded type of brace member 28 arises fromthe opportunity that it afiords for fitting the upper end thereof for ashort 'stance, and then bending the separate endsor tips 41 apart and atright angles to the brace, to bear directly upon the upper surfaceofthesupportmg members 29 and 30. Other portions of the member 28somewhat beneath the parts 41 are also bent outwardly from the folds ofthe brace member to form lateral wings 42 which normally bear upwardlyagainst the support bars, as shown 1n Figs. 6 and 8. The portion of theblade 28 between the wings 41 and 42 is inserted between the bars 29 and30 in the space 31, for movement lengthwise thereof.

The lower end 39 of the brace is formed into a flattened portion 43 byflattening out the folds, and the pad 32 is mounted upon this portionwhich is approximately square in out- 7 line. Both braces 17 and 28 areexceedingly strong in a direction lengthwise of the supporting members.The end 39 of the brace 28 may be readily folded upwardly into contactwith the downwardly hanging clip 38.

The modified form of brace and support bar shown in Figs. 11 and 12 hasthe similar structure of a flat thin brace member 45 which is insertedin the slot 18 of the elongated supporting bar 54 whose end 52 isattached to the tray 1 by the rivet 53, somewhat like the securing meansof Fig. 1. While the brace 45 is pivoted upon the slotted bar54 by theprovision of a transverse pin 55 in the brace resting upon the bar,upward strain of the brace member is resisted by an upper extension 46of the latter designed to contact the lower plate or bottom of the tray1, when the flexible pad 32 presses against the vertical supportingwall. A form of bayonet slot 47 is formed in the lower end of the brace45 and opens outwardly and upwardly. as shown in Fig. 11, to permitreceiving a closed part 56 of the bar 54.

The slot 47 is partially closed by an inwardly extending lip 51 which isintegral with the main portion of the brace 45. The folds of the brace28 separate at 44 to form the support 48, but the lower end of the brace45 which is a solid blade, is flattened at right angles to the blade toform the support 50 for the pad. In latching the blade 45 inidleposition, the lip 51 enters the aperture 57 above the connection 56 ofthe bar 54,- and the entire blade is then moved bodily lengthwise totemporarily latch it in this horizontal position, as shown in brokenlines in Fig. 11. his blade 45 is somewhat thicker than the blade 17 butis held in operative position to brace the tray by contact with the traybottom and contact of the pin 55 with the support bar 54.

In all forms shown in this application, a blade comprising an elongatedblade is inserted in a long, slender slot in a supporting bar secured atits ends to the bottom of the tray, and adjustable in said slot by movinthe brace member while the upper. end thereo is inclined at the properangle to the tray to loosen the giip of the brace to the support,

the tray or ilg be folded into inactive or idle position a jacent' thetray, as shown in broken lines in Figs. 1 and 11. In all these forms,the flat blade has its edge facing the wall of the element supportingthe tray, when the tray is resting on the wall. The supporting le 5 and6 permit stacking the trays of a pile while in parallelism, and isconsidered more or less conventional in the art, and is not thereforedescribed in detail.

Having now particularly described the nature of my invention, itsstructure and function, what I claim and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is-

th. The brace may thus read- 1. The combination of a receptacle having.

a supporting member slotted longitudinally and secured at its ends tosaid receptacle but 7 spaced therefrom intermediate the ends, and abrace member formed of flat metal movably mounted in said slot with itsedge facing a.

vertical support upon which the receptacle rests, and having grippingmeans at one end for engaging both the under and up r surfaces of saidslotted member for hol g the brace in various positions of adjustmentalong the slot, and means at the opposite end of the blade body forcarrying a pad to contact the said vertical support.

2." The combination with a service tray adapted to be hooked over avertical support of a slotted member upon the under side of the tray anda brace shiftable on said slotted member toward and from a verticalsupport upon which the tray is hooked,-one end of said brace extendingthrough the slot in said member whereby the brace may swing in said slotlongitudinally thereof to a collapsed position under the tray and meanson said end of the brace for holding the brace in an extended positionagainst the side of said vertical support against which the brace isadthe tray and a brace shiftable on said slotted member to and from engaementwith the side of a support over w ich-the tray is hooked, saidbrace having an end ortion extending through said slot where y the braceis adapted to be swung in said slot longitudinally thereof and means onsaid brace on the opposite sides of said slotted member for retainingsaid brace on the slotted member and adapted to contact the oppositesides of said slotted member when the brace is against the side of saidvertical support to hold the brace extended.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

WILLIAM L'. MOGINLEY.

